Russia to Sell More MIGs to Syria

Sergei Korotkov, general director of the MiG company that makes the jets, told Russian news agencies Friday that a Syrian delegation was in Moscow to discuss terms and deadlines of a new contract supplying MiG-29 M/M2 fighters to Syria.

Korotkov did not say how many MiGs Syria were buying, but says it would be “more than 10.”

All I can say is, if this is meant to intimidate Western air forces, then the deal had better include some Russian pilots to fly the damn things. Because the Syrians absolutely suck at this stuff. News you can use from 1982:

During the course of combat operations, the Israeli Air Force conducted successful ground attack missions against Syrian and PLO targets, with Israeli attack helicopters inflicting heavy losses on Syrian armor. Israeli jets shot down between 82 and 86 Syrian aircraft in aerial combat, without losses.

The other question is if the Assad government will survive long enough to get the jets operational.

What makes you think Russian pilots would far any better than Syrians? The IAF has been in perpetual combat since... forever. They are the most experienced, trained and professional combat pilots on the planet.

The Russians have had their training budget slashed for the last 20yrs. And the last time they were in combat was Georgia, 5 something years ago. Where they had no serious opposition.

That may be unfair to the Syrians. Saying that they suck, because they consistently lose against one of the best air forces in the world, is a little like saying that your writing sucks in comparison to Ernest Hemingway.

(I once saw a photo of an Israeli combat aircraft with over two dozen kill signs on it. Those guys know what they're doing.)